Yes, we limit membership to maintain a ratio of members-to-boats that assures everyone plenty of opportunity to use all of the boating days your membership provides, and even more as your spring and late season schedule permits, during the Rex Boating Club’s “nearly limitless” Off-Peak Season.
Absolutely, as long as you plan ahead. Like reservations for court times (tennis) or tee times (golf), the earlier you reserve, the more likely you are to get your preferred reservation.
Members may make one reservation per Peak Season weekend, and the boating times on Saturday and Sunday begin with a choice of an AM or PM 5-hour session. If you want to go out on both weekend days, you may make a Standby reservation for the 2nd use.
Rex Boating Club limits the number and types of memberships each season, to assure that all members have plenty of opportunity to make the most of their memberships. We’ve learned that if you schedule within seven (7) days of your desired weekend use date you’re often successful, and we can often say “yes” for even “day of” requests make on Peak Season weekend days! Member usage is light most weekdays and normally allows up to 11 hours on the water.
Simply make your reservation 24/7 online using our real-time scheduling system to confirm the date of your choice. You will have plenty of opportunity to make the most of your Club membership.
Our insurance company requires an Authorized Operator to be a member no less than 25 years old.
No! In fact, most of our members had no boating experience before joining the Rex Boating Club. We specialize in creating safe, competent, confident boaters!
Included in your membership is a one-day safe boating class to earn you a lifetime Connecticut Safe Boater Certificate (SBC), an easy quiz for anyone. Out-of-state certificates are transferable.
Most importantly, your membership includes our private comprehensive on-water boat orientation and instructional session, which features a U.S. Coast Guard licensed Rex Boating Club training captain, on the same Club boats you will use all summer. By the end of the session, you will be comfortable and confident traveling about Norwalk Harbor, prepared to see and visit all of the exciting place and enjoy all of the boating fun that Long Island Sound offers.
The “captain” may invite as many guests as the Club’s stated capacity for a given boat. Most of our boats safely handle up to 12 people.
You only pay for the fuel you use. Boat instrumentation is used to determine fuel usage, saving you a visit to the fuel dock. You will receive an itemized statement listing fuel charges. CT sales tax applies to membership cost. A deductible applies in the event of damage.
While most members pay in full before boating each boating season, we do offer payment options. Membership and our season runs April 15th through October 15th. There is a 2% discount if you pay for membership by check; we also accept MasterCard, Visa, and American Express. Ask about our monthly payment plans, too. You can reserve your membership anytime with a refundable deposit. CT sales tax and fuel are additional.
No, each boat is equipped with GPS, a depth finder, a VHF ship-to-shore radio, life jackets, and all other safety gear required by state and federal laws. Members may bring along their own fishing gear on boats designed for fishing. In addition, the Rex Marine Store offers convenience items like ice, soft drinks, snacks, and gear for tubing and other water sports.
Most of our Rex Boating Club crew members are college students who have a love for (and often a family background on) Long Island Sound waters. You will find them well-trained, professional, helpful, and friendly. They know that the Rex Boating Club’s only purpose is to provide safe, convenient boating fun for our members and their families and friends.
Great question, glad you asked! Before you arrive, our dock managers will have fueled your boat and emptied the “head” (bathroom, in nautical terms). These are time consuming and not particularly pleasant tasks that we know our members would prefer not to do. Not all Boating Clubs offer these services, so be sure to ask if you’re considering other clubs! At Rex Boating Club, we’re happy to take care of these tasks for you.
Boats require ongoing proper care and maintenance. This isn’t always easy and requires an excellent, full-service marine facility with a large parts inventory and a Service Department staffed with “factory-certified” techs. That’s what we have at Rex Marine Center!
A boat lift on site enables the boats to be hauled, often up to three (3) times per week for inspections, routine maintenance, proper cleaning, and, of course, emergency repairs, so a damaged boat gets back into the service of Club members properly and quickly. For a boating club to provide the highest levels of service, that its members deserve, these capabilities are absolutely essential.
If you are considering other clubs, be sure to verify these capabilities are on-site; most similar local clubs cannot match those found at Rex Marine Center. Without such capabilities, turn-key, consistently attractive, reliable, and well-maintained boats are not possible.
Once you have reviewed the online and brochure details of Rex Boating, you owe it to yourself to visit the facility, ideally by appointment. A visit is worth 10,000 words and we believe you’ll see the difference. I personally handle most facility tours, which are respectful of your time (we keep them brief) while encouraging you to spend as much time as you like, to get a good feel for who we are and how we run the club.
We also have an excellent Better Business Bureau rating and, if you ask friends or colleagues, or check online, you’ll find that the Rex Boating Club (established in 2005) has the same excellent reputation as Rex Marine Center, our family business since 1936, where I have been General Manager for over 30 years.
Boating is better in Norwalk because of the Norwalk Islands, one of only two large Island clusters in Long Island Sound. The Islands offer dozens of safe, protected anchorages, several quiet beaches to relax and catch some rays, as well as picnic and camping sites, bird-watching, beachcombing, scenic beauty, watersports sites, and very good fishing. All just a mile or so from Rex Marine Center, where you can travel just 10 – 15 minutes out yet feel like you’re a million miles away from your shoreside concerns.
Without the Islands, there is just open water – fine to travel through but lacking in things to do when compared to the Norwalk Islands. Adjoining towns are nice places to start from but our members and Rex Marine Center boaters tell us that the Islands are their favorite “go to” destinations. Plus, there are many Long Island and CT shoreline destinations within an hour of Rex Marine Center.
To see our membership pricing plan, download our Rex Boating Club Brochure 2023 . To learn more about how Rex Boating Club can help you connect with those you care about, please contact:
Bill Gardella / Phone: 203.984.1278 / Email: bill@rexboatingclub.com